2005 Geography Bee

Persistence paid off for 13-year-old Nathan Cornelius from Cottonwood,
Minn. The home-schooled seventh grader represented Minnesota at the
National Geographic Bee for the third straight year on May 25, 2005, and
won first place, taking home a $25,000 scholarship and a lifetime
membership in the National Geographic Society. After the field was
narrowed to two finalists, he won by correctly answering this question:
“Lake Gatún, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the
Panama Canal system, was created by damming which river?” (Answer
below.)

“I spend a couple of hours a day studying geography by looking at
atlases and geography books,” said Cornelius, adding that he also
used the quizzes on the National Geographic Web site, the National
Geographic Desk Reference, and a book written by last year's winner,
Andrew Wojtanik: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: Country Facts That Helped Me
Win the National Geographic Bee.

The national geography bee was open to 55 contestants: one from each
state, plus one apiece from Washington, D.C.; Pacific Territories; Puerto
Rico; the Virgin Islands; and U.S. Department of Defense schools. The
final round, for the top ten finalists, was moderated by Alex Trebek, host
of the popular game show Jeopardy! It was broadcast live on the
National Geographic Channel, and will also be shown on public
television.

The second-place winner was 14-year-old Karan Takhar, from Rhode
Island, who won a $15,000 scholarship. Third place, and a $10,000
scholarship, went to 13-year-old Samuel Brandt. All of the top three
finalists had been representing their states in the national competition
for the third straight year. All ten of this year's finalists, and last
year's ten finalists, will be able to participate in the National
Geographic World Championship this July, when 21 teams will compete for
the world title in Budapest, Hungary.

As for the winning answer, the Chagres River was dammed to create Lake
Gatún.